Revenue Man reveals 'Top 10 oddest excuses' for late tax returns

• Guest 640

  • Registered: 21 Apr 2007
  • Posts: 7,819
  3 January 2014     08:32256749
  #1      
  With the 31 January tax return deadline just around the corner, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed the 'Top 10 oddest excuses' for sending in a late return.
  
  The following bizarre, exotic and flimsy excuses have all been used by tardy taxpayers:
  
  1. My pet goldfish died (self-employed builder);
  
  2. I had a run-in with a cow (Midlands farmer);
  
  3. After seeing a volcanic eruption on the news, I couldn't concentrate on anything else (London woman);
  
  4. My wife won't give me my mail (self-employed trader);
  
  5. My husband told me the deadline was 31 March, and I believed him (Leicester hairdresser);
  
  6. I've been far too busy touring the country with my one-man play (Coventry writer);
  
  7. My bad back means I can't go upstairs. That's where my tax return is (a working taxi driver);
  
  8. I've been cruising round the world in my yacht, and only picking up post when I'm on dry land (South East man);
  
  9. Our business doesn't really do anything (Kent financial services firm); and
  
  10. I've been too busy submitting my clients' tax returns (London accountant).
  
  
  All of these people and businesses received a £100 penalty from HMRC for filing late. They appealed against the decision using these excuses, but were unsuccessful.
  
  HMRC's Director General of Personal Tax, Ruth Owen, said:
  
  "There will always be unforeseen events that mean a taxpayer could not file their tax return on time. However, your pet goldfish passing away isn't one of them."
  
  So there you are.
  email: dover7@msn.com
• Guest 640

  • Registered: 21 Apr 2007
  • Posts: 7,819
  3 January 2014     08:44256751
  #2      
  I once felt the wincing pain of that £100 fine.
  
  To avoid it I did a bit of over-the-top grovelling and offered some colourful reasons but I was met with the proverbial HMRC deaf ear...
  my excuse went as follows.
  
  "I was walking along the seafront heading to my accountants when a gust of wind came along and blew all my cheque stubs into the sea. The cheque stubs were promptly eaten by a shoal of darting avaricious mackeral just up from those balmy waters of further south. Needless to say I was horrified and was thinking of plunging into the sea to give chase to the mackeral when a passing fisherman pointed out the pointlessness of that idea. A while later the mackeral all floated to the surface looking decidedly ill...clearly the figures on the cheque stubs were indigestible !!
  So as you can see it wasnt my fault"
  
  I cant think why they didnt buy that one as it was the gospel truth...so it was
  email: dover7@msn.com
• Guest 698

  • Registered: 28 May 2010
  • Posts: 8,664
  3 January 2014     08:54256752
  #3      
  I remember one they published a few years ago: 'I took too much Viagra and couldn't leave the house to go to the post office'.
  I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
• Terry Nunn

  • Location: London Road, Dover
  • Registered: 12 Mar 2008
  • Posts: 4,321
  3 January 2014     09:09256755
  #4      
  And the lady charged with speeding. She said she was trying to get to the filling station before the petrol ran out.
  
  Terry
  Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?